Herbal Medicines: Consult with Your Doctor Before Use

One in three Americans has taken herbal medicines in the past year to improve health. Annual purchases soar each year costing $5 billion in sales.1

Herbals that have been proven safe and effective deserve to be considered valid options for improving health. However, the effectiveness of many herbs is still not proven, and it's often difficult to tell fact from fiction in books and computer resources about herbs.2 Many are either for or against herbal medicines, making it difficult to get a true picture of the benefits and risks of using these products.

One important factor to keep in mind is that herbs act like medicines in the body and can cause strong unwanted effects. The table below lists the 10 most common herbs used in the US, possible uses, side effects, and warnings or interactions with other medicines. As with prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dangerous side effects can occur when taking herbs, particularly if too much of the product is used. To cite one example, chamomile should not be taken if you have a history of asthma or allergic dermatitis, or if you take warfarin (Coumadin) or other blood thinners.

The herb should also be avoided if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, because it may trigger a miscarriage.2 Yet, most people would not think to look into the safety of drinking a cup of chamomile tea each night to help with sleep.

If you use herbal medicines, consult with your doctor before you start taking the herb, or let your physician and pharmacist know if you are already taking these products. Unfortunately, some studies have found that most patients don't tell their doctors they are taking herbal medicines.2 In some cases, patients don't consider herbs to be medicine; in other cases, they believe their doctors will criticize them for using the herbs. However, doctors need to know if you are taking these products so that they can accurately judge whether particular symptoms are related to a medical illness or a side effect from an herbal medicine. Those who take herbal products should also keep a reliable, unbiased reference on hand. The National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health offer a comprehensive, free Internet resource that can be accessed at: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/herbalmedicine.html.